Three's a Crowd
by JoLLY rAnChEr 18
Summary: After having fled Bill and Fleur's wedding Harry, Ron and Hermione think they have found safety in a small cafe, that is, until they are attacked once more by four death eaters. Overwhelmed and overpowered by the sudden ambush, they are nearly captured. Who is this girl that just saved the Golden Trio? And can she be trusted? R
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own HP. If anything sounds familiar it's because I took it straight out of the book. :)**_

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_**Chapter 1: Tottenham Court Road**_

"Just as a matter of interest, why Tottenham Court Road?" Ron asked Hermione.

"I've no idea, it just popped into my head, but I'm sure we're safer out in the Muggle world, it's not where they'll expect us to be."

"True," said Ron, looking around, "but don't you feel a bit – exposed?"

"Where else is there?" asked Hermione, cringing as the men on the other side of the road started wolf-whistling at her. "We can hardly book rooms at the Leaky Cauldron, can we? And Grimmauld Place is out if Snape can get in there. . . . I suppose we could try my parents' home, though I think there's a chance they might check there. . . . Oh, I wish they'd shut up!"

"All right, darling?" the drunkest of the men on the other pavement was yelling. "Fancy a drink? Ditch ginger and come and have a pint!"

"Let's sit down somewhere," Hermione said hastily as Ron opened his mouth to shout back across the road. "Look, this will do, in here!"

There was only two other others aside from Harry, Ron, and Hermione when they entered the all night café, the waitress and a young girl of about eighteen was staring intently at a map with a cup of coffee in hand, trying to decide where to go next.

As the waitress went to go make the two cappuccinos for Hermione and Ron (Harry hadn't ordered one as he was under the invisibility cloak), four large workmen entered the café. They went up to the unattended counter and looked up at the menu.

"Let's get going, then, I don't want to drink this muck," said Ron. "Hermione, have you got Muggle money to pay for this?"

"Yes, I took out all my Building Society savings before I came to the Burrow. I'll bet all the change is at the bottom," sighed Hermione, reaching for her beaded bag.

The workmen made identical movements, and Harry mirrored them without conscious thought: All four of them drew their wands. Ron, a few seconds late in realizing what was going on, lunged across the table, pushing Hermione sideways onto her bench. The girl sitting at a table near the window, seeing this, crawled under the table for shelter. The Blonde Death eater, unable to see who had cast the spell, fired another at Ron: Shining black ropes flew from his wand-tip and bound Ron head to foot – the waitress screamed and ran for the door – Harry sent another Stunning Spell at the Death Eater with the twisted face who had tied up Ron, but the spell missed, rebounded on the window, and hit the waitress, who collapsed in front of the door. The girl got up and ran to the waitress and shook her in failed attempts to awaken her seeing that this was useless she picked her up and dragged her under a table for safety.

"Expulso!" bellowed the Death Eater, and the table behind which Harry was standing blew up: The force of the explosion slammed him into the wall and he felt his wand leave his hand as the Cloak slipped off him.

"Petrificus Totalus!" screamed Hermione from out of sight, and the Death Eater fell forward like a statue to land with a crunching thud on the mess of broken china, table, and coffee. Hermione crawled out from underneath the bench, shaking bits of glass ashtray out of her hair and trembling all overwhen she was hit from behind and fell forward on her face. Harry then shot a stunning spell at the Death Eater who'd hit Hermione and he too fell

Harry realized he was fighting a losing battle: Ron was tied up and Hermione was in a full body-bind. He had to duel the two remaining Death eaters on his own. When he heard a female voice that didn't belong to Hermione scream,

" Expelliarmus!" Harry turned to see who it was and to his surprise it was the "muggle" girl and she had disarmed one of the death eaters "Locomotor Mortis!" a ray of bright red light escaped from her wand and hit the lone remaining death eater successfully locking his legs together and he fell to the floor. Harry quickly turned around and shot second stunning spell at the last Death Eater, he fell over a chair, there was a sickening crunch when he hit the floor but Harry couldn't worry about that now. Harry turned around to see The Girl standing over Hermione she pointed her wand at her "Finite." She said in a loud clear voice. Harry looked back at Ron and he gave Harry a confused look before Harry pointed his wand at Ron

"Diffindo." The severed ropes fell away. Ron got to his feet, shaking his arms to regain feeling in them. Harry picked up his wand andhanded it to him. Meanwhile The Girl helped a shaky Hermione off the floor

"Are you alright." She asked concern clear in her voice

"I-I think so." She breathed. Hermione caught Ron's eye and she ran to stand with them. Harry raised his wand at her and Ron and Hermione mimicked him, The Girl did the same.

"Who are you?" Harry hadn't really seen her during all the fighting she was actually a very pretty girl with curly, shoulder length, auburn almost brown hair; brilliant blue eyes with dark, thin, perfectly arched eyebrows; a small straight nose; pink, full lips and a slightly pointed chin; she had a round face and a rosy pale complexion. She was thin in stature, fit, she stood at about 5"6' and a half

"I'm Audrey, and I just saved your life, so you're welcome for that." "And you're Harry Potter, you're Hermione Granger, and you're Ron Weasley." She said gesturing at each of them with her wand.

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**Review Please, even if you hated it… Especially if you hated it**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2: Memory Charms**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP. If anything sounds familiar it's because I borrowed it and took it straight out of book. :) **

**It took me awhile but here it is chapter two:**

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_Previously:_

_"Who are you?" Harry hadn't really seen her during all the fighting she was actually a very pretty girl with curly, shoulder length, auburn almost brown hair; brilliant blue eyes with dark, thin, perfectly arched eyebrows; a small straight nose; pink, full lips and a slightly pointed chin; she had a round face and a rosy pale complexion. She was thin in stature, fit, she stood at about 5"6' and a half_

_"I'm Audrey, and I just saved your life, so you're welcome for that." "And you're Harry Potter, you're Hermione Granger, and you're Ron Weasley." She said gesturing at each of them with her wand._

Harry was used to people knowing who he was everywhere he went but this was the first time something like this had happened to Ron or Hermione. They looked around at each other, bemused expressions on their faces.

"How'd you know who we are?" asked Ron a bit nervously. The girl, Audrey, rolled her eyes and Harry tried his best not to do the same, it was after all a bit obvious _how_ she knew.

"Well, everybody knows, don't they?" "I mean it was in The Daily Prophet awhile back, some rubbish about how you've gone mad due to your near death experiences and you can't be trusted followed by some garbage story on how you've somehow brainwashed you're friends into believing you." Harry felt his face burn with anger at this, he hadn't seen that particular article in fact he'd been avoiding The Prophet altogether because he knew they would say something like this.

"It's not true." He said through gritted teeth "There all lies!" Hermione threw a worried glance at Ron they both knew how Harry could get when he was angry.

"I know." She said quietly "And I also know of your efforts to try and take down the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and since we are here," she lowered her wand but the trio remained cautious "I want to offer my help."

"We don't need your help." Said Harry. Harry didn't know this girl, he didn't trust her. Dumbledore had counted on him, Ron, and Hermione to find and destroy all the Horcruxes by themselves. But Audrey seemed to have not heard him because she went to stand over one of the Death Eaters.

"That's Dolohov." She said "And see the one over there by the counter that's Mulciber," she walked over to another one of the Death Eaters that was lying flat on his face and she turned him around with her foot "And this bloke is… Nott, the last one over by the door name's Roiser and they are all Death Eaters sent _here_ by You-Know-Who to capture you," She nudged one of the bodies aside with her foot, "and later kill you" she added.

"We know why they are here and who they work for; we're the ones they're trying to do away with!" Harry shouted

"Exactly." She said "They just tried to kill you and I, on the other hand, just saved your life and you seem to hate me more than you do them." Harry hated to admit she was right, here he was his wand pointed at a girl he had just met, while there was Death Eaters to be dealt with.

"Hermione," said Harry turning to her "Do you think you can do a memory charm?"

"I- I think so, I know the theory of it." She said

"D'you think you can do it on them, modify their memories a bit so they don't remember us."

Harry looked at Hermione and in that instant she knew what he wanted her to do.

"Obliviate" Hermione said pointing to all four death eaters in turn. Hermione turned back to them she pointed her wand at Audrey's back, she was still facing Harry and Ron,

"Oblivi-"

"Expelliarmus!" yelled Audrey rounding on Hermione, effectively disarming her. Hermione's wand flew through the air and Audrey caught it with her free hand.

"What are you doing!" she asked irritably, waving Hermione's wand in front of her

"I'm trying to help you, why are you making this harder than it has to be!"

"Expelliamu-" Ron tried to disarm Audrey, but she blocked it

"Protego." she said, exasperated.

'_Amateurs'_ Audrey thought "Is that really necessary!", "I'm trying to help you!" Harry didn't try to attack her but he didn't put his wand down either. She clearly knew what she was doing.

"Look, we appreciate that you helped us out with the Death Eaters, but this doesn't concern you." Said Harry trying to reason with her, it was Hermione who spoke next

"What do you want from us?"

"I want to help." Replied Audrey simply

"We don't need your help."

Audrey raised her eyebrows and looked around at the unconscious Death Eaters

"I think you do, no offense, I'm sure you're very capable, but I think I could be useful"

"We handle ourselves just fine" said Hermione "And we don't even know who you are."

Audrey sighed and ran her fingers through her hair "My name is Audrey Lavainne and I-" Ron gasped,

"Lavainne? As in Albert Lavainne?"

"Oh, no." she muttered to herself and she buried her hands in her face, ashamed.

"You know her?" asked Harry looking at Ron

"Yeah! Well no. But I know about her family, I remember Mum and Dad talking about them. Her dad killed my uncles!" He yelled pointing an accusing finger at her. "Yeah, the Lavainne's were in You-Know-Who's top circle when he first rose to power, I reckon they were right up there with the Malfoy's! Her father escaped from Azkaban last year with the rest of the Death Eaters!" he spat.

"We can't trust her Harry she's probably a Death Eater as well." He said looking suspiciously at her arm.

"I'm not a Death Eater." Said Audrey quietly

"Why should we believe you?" demanded Hermione

Audrey lifted her right sleeve exposing her arm

"Satisfied?" she asked the trio

"What about your other arm" questioned Hermione eyeing Audrey's left arm.

"What about it? The Dark Mark is always branded on the right forearm, not the left."

"If you don't have it you won't have any trouble showing us." Harry protested. Audrey took a deep breath and exhaled sharply.

"Alright," she said, she lifted her right sleeve and as she did so Hermione let out a sharp gasp and put her hand over her could see his own shock reflected in Ron's and Hermione's faces.

A white shiny scar marred her left forearm, at first Harry thought it looked like some sort of rabid animal had scratched her up or she might have subjected herself to self harm. But when Harry looked closer he could see a single word had been violently carved into her skin, it read:

_** BLOODTRAITOR**_

"I'm not a Death Eater," she laughed humorlessly "I'm a Blood Traitor."

She rolled her sleeves down again "My mother gave me this when she disowned me; my entire family are all Death Eaters, all but me."

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**YAY! Chapter 2! Review even if you hate it! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP. Anything that sounds familiar, probably isn't mine.**

**I'm alive! I know it's been awhile I've just been really busy.**

**Chapter 3: Elucidation**

_Previously:_

"_Alright," she said, she lifted her right sleeve and as she did so Hermione let out a sharp gasp and put her hand over her mouth.__Harry could see his own shock reflected in Ron's and Hermione's faces._

_A white shiny scar marred her left forearm, at first Harry thought it looked like some sort of rabid animal had scratched her up or she might have subjected herself to self harm. But when Harry looked closer he could see a single word had been violently carved into her skin, it read:_

_**BLOODTRAITOR**_

"_I'm not a Death Eater," she laughed humorlessly "I'm a Blood Traitor." She rolled her sleeves down again "My mother gave me this when she disowned me; my entire family are all Death Eaters, all but me."_

Harry opened his mouth to say something and then closed it again. He had no idea how to respond to this information. He didn't know whether he could trust this girl or not. On the one hand she had just saved their life, but from what Ron had shared she came from a long line of very devoted Death Eaters.

Hermione looked sympathetic ,"Audrey, I ... uh we … erm -"

Audrey cut her off, "Its fine you don't have to say anything, just forget it"

Harry could sympathize with her he knew what it was like to come from a family that doesn't care for you. But that didn't mean they were friends.

"Look." said Audrey, "You don't have to like me but you can trust me, I just want to help"

"No" Harry said simply, "You can't come with us, we don't even know you"

"But I know you."

"No you don't" replied Ron, "Knowing someone and stalking someone are two completely different things."

"Your right I don't know you, I know of you and of what you plan to do."

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione

"What I mean is I know you're trying to destroy You-Know-Who, I know you need help and I know that you know you have to let me come because you couldn't possibly risk the alternative."

"What exactly is the alternative?" questioned Harry

"Oh, I don't know" answered Audrey tantalizingly "Maybe I'll go back to my mother's house and tell her who I've found."

"You wouldn't" said Hermione "You said it yourself, your family disowned you, you wouldn't go back there"

"Maybe, maybe not but are you really willing to take the chance that I won't tell?"She asked

Harry knew that she was right, he couldn't leave her there. Only to go let Voldemort know where he's been. They had to bring her along. It was blackmail at its finest.

"You can come-" Hermione cut him off

"Harry, we don't even know her"

"It's the only way." He said firmly

Harry looked to Ron then Hermione and then back at Audrey who looked satisfied

"Alright, where're we going?" Audrey asked with smugness laced in her voice.

Harry was regretting this already. He exhaled loudly pocketing his wand

"Number Twelve Grimmauld Place."

Harry's lungs expanded gratefully as they apperated in front of the old building. Number twelve was visible to them; for they had been told of its existence by Dumbledore, its Secret-Keeper, with the exception of Audrey, Harry had told her moments before, and they rushed toward it, checking every few yards that they were not being followed or observed. They raced up the stone steps, and Harry tapped the front door once with his wand. They heard a series of metallic clicks and the clatter of a chain, then the door swung open with a creak and they hurried over the threshold. As Harry closed the door behind them, the old-fashioned gas lamps sprang into life, casting flickering light along the length of the hallway. It looked just as Harry remembered it: eerie, cobwebbed, the outlines of the house-elf heads on the wall throwing odd shadows up the staircase. Long dark curtains concealed the portrait of Sirius's mother. The only things that were out of place were the troll's leg umbrella stand, which was lying on its side as if Tonks had just knocked it over again and Audrey whom was lingering awkwardly behind them.

"I think somebody's been in here," Hermione whispered, pointing toward the umbrella stand.

"That could've happened as the Order left," Ron murmured back.

"Order? You mean The Order of the Phoenix?" Audrey asked

"So where are these jinxes they put up against Snape?" Harry asked, ignoring Audrey's question.

"Maybe they're only activated if he shows up?" suggested Ron. Yet they remained on the doormat, backs against the door, afraid to move farther into the house.

"Well, we can't stay here forever," said Harry, and he took a step forward.

"Severus Snape?"

Mad-Eye Moody's voice whispered out of the darkness, making all four of them jump back in fright. "We're not Snape!" croaked Harry, before something whooshed over him like cold air and his tongue curled backward on itself, making it impossible to speak. Before he had time to feel inside his mouth, however, his tongue had unraveled again. The others seemed to have experienced the same unpleasant sensation. Ron was making retching noises

"Tongue Tying Curse." Audrey whispered to no one in particular

Harry took another step forward. Something shifted in the shadows at the end of the hall, and before any of them could say another word, a figure had risen up out of the carpet, tall, dust-colored, and terrible; Hermione screamed and so did Mrs. Black, her curtains flying open; the gray figure was gliding toward them, faster and faster, its waist-length hair and beard streaming behind it, its face sunken, fleshless, with empty eye sockets: Horribly familiar, dreadfully altered, it raised a wasted arm, pointing at Harry. "No!" Harry shouted, and though he had raised his wand no spell occurred to him. "No! It wasn't us! We didn't kill you –"

On the word kill, the figure exploded in a great cloud of dust: Coughing, his eyes watering, Harry looked around to see Hermione crouched on the floor by the door with her arms over her head, and Ron, who was shaking from head to foot, patting her clumsily on the shoulder and saying,

"It's all r-right. . . . It's g-gone. . . ." Audrey stood gaping at the pile of dust on the floor in astonishment

Dust swirled around Harry like mist, catching the blue gaslight, as Mrs. Black continued to scream.

"Mudbloods, filth, stains of dishonor, Blood traitors, taint of shame on the house of my fathers' –"

"SHUT UP!" Harry bellowed, directing his wand at her and with a bang and a burst of red sparks, the curtains swung shut again, silencing her.

"That . . . that was . . ." Hermione whimpered, as Ron helped her to her feet.

"Yeah," said Harry, "but it wasn't really him, was it? Just something to scare Snape." Harry led the other three up the hall half-expecting some new terror to show itself.

"Before we go any farther, I think we'd better check," whispered Hermione, and she raised her wand and said, "Homenum revelio."

Nothing happened. "Well, you've just had a big shock," said Ron kindly. "What was that supposed to do?"

"It did what I meant it to do!" said Hermione rather crossly.

"It's a charm that reveals Human Presence; the spell indicates a body by a marker." Explained Audrey sounding very much like she was reading out of a book, as Hermione has done on multiple occasions. Hermione looked to her startled by the sound of her voice

"Yes, thank you there's nobody here but us." Hermione replied indignantly

"Right," said Ron doubtfully, looking over at the patch of carpet from which the corpse-figure had ascended from. "Let's go up," said Hermione with a frightened look at the same spot, and she led the way up the creaking stairs to the drawing room on the first floor.

Hermione waved her wand to ignite the old gas lamps, then, shivering slightly in the drafty room, she perched on the sofa, her arms wrapped tightly around her. Ron crossed to the window and moved the heavy velvet curtains aside an inch.

"Can't see anyone out there," he reported. "And you'd think, if Harry still had a Trace on him, they'd have followed us here."

"That's impossible you lose the Trace at seventeen." Said Hermione

"How else do you explain how the Death Eaters found us so easily?"

"It's like you said, Ronald, if he still had the Trace on him they'd followed us here."

I know they can't get in the house, but – what's up, Harry?"

Harry had given a cry of pain: His scar had burned again as something flashed across his mind like a bright light on water. He saw a large shadow and felt a fury that was not his own pound through his body, violent and brief as an electric shock. "What did you see?" Ron asked, advancing on Harry. "Did you see him at my place?"

"No, I just felt anger – he's really angry –"

"But that could be at the Burrow," said Ron loudly. "What else? Didn't you see anything? Was he cursing someone?"

"What's happening?" asked Audrey confusedly

"No, I just felt anger – I couldn't tell –"

Harry felt badgered, confused, and Hermione did not help as she said in a frightened voice, "Your scar, again? But what's going on? I thought that connection had closed!"

"What's going on?" Audrey asked again, her question went unanswered once more.

"It did, for a while," muttered Harry answering Hermione; his scar was still painful, which made it hard to concentrate. "I – I think it's started opening again whenever he loses control, that's how it used to –"

"But then you've got to close your mind!" said Hermione shrilly. "Harry, Dumbledore didn't want you to use that connection, he wanted you to shut it down, that's why you were supposed to use Occlumency! Otherwise Voldemort can plant false images in your mind, remember –"

"Yeah, I do remember, thanks," said Harry through gritted teeth; he did not need Hermione to tell him that Voldemort had not once used this same connection between them to lead him into a trap. The room went silent as they remembered how Voldemort once used the connection to get to Harry which resulted in Sirius death.

"I could teach you." Audrey's soft whisper cut through the heavy silence like a whiplash,

"_What_ are you going on about?" Said Harry annoyed

"Occlumency. I can teach you" she spoke louder this time. Ron scoffed at her

"_You_ know Occlumency?"

"Yes _me_, who else?"

"No." said Harry

"Yes" said Hermione

"No"

"Yes, Harry you need to learn, it's imperative that you know these things." Now Hermione turned to Audrey

"How much do you know?"She asked

"I know Occlumency, but I haven't completely mastered Legilimency, but I'll get there."

"You can make yourself useful and teach Harry." said Hermione

"No." Harry said firmly

Hermione grabbed Harry by his elbow pulled him towards the kitchen.

"Harry you have to learn Occlumency it's the only way you can keep him out and if this girl can teach you we should take advantage of that and let her." said Hermione.

"H-how can you say that Hermione?" asked Harry in disbelief, the pain in his scar was making him sick.

"Harry you have to learn Occlumency. It's what Dumbledore wanted you to do, it's the only way" She replied as Harry stared out the window

"We don't even know this girl and you want me to let her read my mind. Have you gone mad Hermione?" Harry exclaimed in a whisper so that he wouldn't be heard from the other room where Ron and Audrey stood silently.

"Harry please! You have to learn, you have to shut him out!" she pleaded

"But-" Hermione cut him off

"Just try, just do it once and if you don't like how she's teaching you or it doesn't work, you don't have to do it again"

Harry looked conflicted. He couldn't trust this girl but he knew Hermione was right, he had to learn to block out Voldemort.

"Just once?" Harry asked

"Just once." Confirmed Hermione

"Alright then Hermione, just once" Hermione looked pleased with herself as she led Harry back to Ron and Audrey.

They found Ron and Audrey sitting quietly at the table on chairs opposite each other. Ron appeared to be reading an old newspaper while Audrey fiddled with a circular pendent intertwined with silver wiring which hung from a chain, secured loosely around her neck.

Hermione cleared her throat quietly to make herself known .Ron immediately got up from his seat and to join Harry and Hermione. The pain in Harry's head was increasing.

"I think w-"

A silver Patronus soared through the drawing room window, interrupting Harry and landed upon the floor in front of them, where it solidified into the a weasel that spoke with the voice of Ron's father.

"Family safe, do not reply, we are being watched."

The Patronus dissolved into nothingness. Ron let out a noise between a whimper and a groan and dropped onto the sofa: Hermione joined him, gripping his arm.

"They're all right, they're all right!" she whispered, and Ron half laughed and hugged her.

"Harry," he said over Hermione's shoulder, "I –"

"It's not a problem," said Harry, sickened by the pain in his head. "It's your family, 'course you were worried. I'd feel the same way." He thought of Ginny. "I do feel the same way."

The pain in his scar was reaching a peak, burning as it had back in the garden of the Burrow. Faintly he heard Hermione say "I don't want to be on my own. Could we use the sleeping bags I've brought and camp in here tonight?"

He heard Ron agree.

He could not fight the pain much longer. He had to succumb.

"Bathroom," he muttered, and he left the room as fast as he could without running.

He barely made it: Bolting the door behind him with trembling hands, he grasped his pounding head and fell to the floor, then in an explosion of agony, he felt the rage that did not belong to him possess his soul, saw a long room lit only by firelight, and the giant blond Death Eater on the floor, screaming and writhing, and a slighter figure standing over him, wand outstretched, while Harry spoke in a high, cold, merciless voice.

"More, Rowle, or shall we end it and feed you to Nagini? Lord Voldemort is not sure that he will forgive this time. . . . You called me back for this, to tell me that Harry Potter has escaped again? Draco, give Rowle another taste of our displeasure. . . . Do it, or feel my wrath yourself!"

A log fell in the fire: Flames reared, their light darting across a terrified, pointed white face – with a sense of emerging from deep water, Harry drew heaving breaths and opened his eyes.

He was spread-eagled on the cold black marble floor, his nose inches from one of the silver serpent tails that supported the large bathtub. He sat up. Malfoy's gaunt, petrified face seemed burned on the inside of his eyes. Harry felt sickened by what he had seen, by the use to which Draco was now being put by Voldemort.

There was a sharp rap on the door, and Harry jumped as Hermione's voice rang out.

"Harry, do you want your toothbrush? I've got it here."

"Yeah, great, thanks," he said, fighting to keep his voice casual as he stood up to let her in.

**Review please, even if you hate it :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it took so long.  
Disclaimer: I don't own HP. Anything that sounds familiar, probably isn't mine**

**Chapter 4:**** Anamnesis**

_Previously:_

_They found Ron and Audrey sitting quietly at the table on chairs opposite each other. Ron appeared to be reading an old newspaper while Audrey fiddled with a circular pendent intertwined with silver wiring which hung from a chain, secured loosely around her neck._

…

_"Family safe, do not reply, we are being watched."_

…

_"Bathroom," he muttered, and he left the room as fast as he could without running._

_He barely made it: Bolting the door behind him with trembling hands, he grasped his pounding head and fell to the floor, then in an explosion of agony, he felt the rage that did not belong to him possess his soul, saw a long room lit only by firelight, and the giant blond Death Eater on the floor, screaming and writhing, and a slighter figure standing over him, wand outstretched, while Harry spoke in a high, cold, merciless voice._

_"More, Rowle, or shall we end it and feed you to Nagini? Lord Voldemort is not sure that he will forgive this time. . . . You called me back for this, to tell me that Harry Potter has escaped again? Draco, give Rowle another taste of our displeasure. . . . Do it, or feel my wrath yourself!"_

_A log fell in the fire: Flames reared, their light darting across a terrified, pointed white face – with a sense of emerging from deep water, Harry drew heaving breaths and opened his eyes._

_He was spread-eagled on the cold black marble floor, his nose inches from one of the silver serpent tails that supported the large bathtub. He sat up. Malfoy's gaunt, petrified face seemed burned on the inside of his eyes. Harry felt sickened by what he had seen, by the use to which Draco was now being put by Voldemort._

_There was a sharp rap on the door, and Harry jumped as Hermione's voice rang out._

_"Harry, do you want your toothbrush? I've got it here."_

_"Yeah, great, thanks," he said, fighting to keep his voice casual as he stood up to let her in._

Harry woke early the next morning, wrapped in a sleeping bag on the floor; everything was quiet save Ron and Hermione's slow, deep breathing. Harry glanced over at the dark shapes they made on the floor beside him. Ron had insisted that Hermione sleep on the cushions from the sofa, so that her silhouette was raised above his. Her arm curved to the floor, her fingers inches from Ron's.

"Who's Ginny?"

Harry turned to see Audrey sitting cross legged in the far corner of the room; no one had bothered to help her make sleeping arrangements the night before since the trio didn't even want her there to begin with.

"What?"Harry asked "How do you know that name?"

"You talk in your sleep." she stated simply, "You mentioned a 'Ginny'quite a few times"

He ignored her, turning away from the unwanted house guest he left the room and started up the stairs.

On his way he passed the bedroom in which he and Ron had slept last time they had been here; he glanced into it. The closet doors stood open and the sheets on the beds had been ripped back. Harry continued up the stairs until he reached the topmost landing where there were only two doors. The one facing him bore a nameplate reading Sirius. Harry had never entered his godfather's bedroom before. He pushed open the door, holding his wand high to cast light as widely as possible. The room was rather large and must once have been attractive. Though now dust covered every surface, Harry looked up to see a large spider crawling over the chandelier that was placed over a large expensive looking bed. Before Harry could venture further into the room he was irked by a voice coming from behind him

"I need to talk to you," said Audrey. At the sound of her voice Harry hastily shut the door behind him,

"What do you want?" Harry spoke through gritted teeth, rounding on her; Audrey narrowed her eyes at him

"I was up all night-"

"What are you doing up all night for?" Harry asked rudely, interrupting her.

"Cleaning mostly, this place is filthy." Audrey answered seemingly unfazed by Harry's behavior. "Anyway I couldn't sleep, and I thought it might be a good idea for someone to stay up and keep watch-"

"Why? We're safe here."

"Could you stop interrupting me it's incredibly rude," Audrey said coolly

"I have something for you." She said, pulling out a piece of paper from her back pocket.

"I don't want it."

"You don't even know what is yet." She argued

"Well. If it's from you it must be no good."

She scoffed "Nice to know what you think of me,"

"Wasn't trying to hide it." He mumbled

Ignoring Harry's last comment she continued on "I happened upon it while I was cleaning last night and lucky for you it's not from me. It's from your mom; I just thought you might want to see it." She threw the paper at Harry and stormed off; sparing one last glance at him she muttered "You're impossible."

Tentatively Harry unfolded the paper, revealing a handwritten letter it read:

_Dear Padfoot,_

_Thank you, thank you, for Harry's birthday present! It was his favorite by far. One year old and already zooming along on a toy broomstick, he looked so pleased with himself. I'm enclosing a picture so you can see._

_You know it only rises about two feet off the ground but he nearly killed the cat and he smashed a horrible vase Petunia sent me for Christmas (no complaints there). Of course James thought it was so funny, says he's going to be a great Quidditch player but we've had to pack away all the ornaments and make sure we don't take our eyes off him when he gets going._

_We had a very quiet birthday tea, just us and old Bathilda who has always been sweet to us and who dotes on Harry. We were so sorry you couldn't come, but the Order's got to come first, and Harry's not old enough to know it's his birthday anyway! James is getting a bit frustrated shut up here, he tries not to show it but I can tell – also Dumbledore's still got his Invisibility Cloak, so no chance of little excursions. If you could visit, it would cheer him up so much. Wormy was here last weekend. I thought he seemed down, but that was probably the next about the McKinnon's; I cried all evening when I heard. Bathilda drops in most days; she's a fascinating old thing with the most amazing stories about Dumbledore. I'm not sure he'd be pleased if he knew! I don't know how much to believe, actually because it seems incredible that Dumbledore_

Dumbledore? Dumbledore what? Harry flipped the paper over thinking that there might be a continuation on the back, there wasn't. Then he thought of Audrey, yes, she must have the rest he thought, once he'd come to this conclusion he ventured off in search of her. He went back down to the room they had slept in, she wasn't there.

In the corner where Audrey had been sitting when Harry woke was what Harry assumed was her Dragon Hide Jacket, he remembered having seen Bill Weasley with dragon skin boots and him explain to Harry how in a Muggle's eyes it would look like a plain old leather and also how Dragon skin is very tough and resistant to some spells. Curious, Harry picked up the jacket and looked over to see Ron and Hermione still sleeping soundly not wanting to disturb his friends he left the room, jacket in hand. He went down stairs into the living room and threw the jacket on the couch.

When Harry turned to walk out of the room he heard a small _thump_ as something hit the floor, it wasn't a loud noise but perhaps it just seemed that way to Harry as it echoed around the empty house. Harry turned back to look at the couch then the jacket then to the small, round pendant Harry had assumed had fallen out one of the pockets of Audrey's jacket. Harry picked it up to examine what it was; it was the necklace that Audrey wore round her neck the previous day.

It had appeared to be a light gray stone with silver wiring, but now that he looked more closely he could see that it wasn't a stone at all; it seemed to be a sort of a liquid substance floating in its enclosure, on a chain, as a necklace. Harry felt drawn to the odd silvery substance, so he went to touch it.

And then Harry was falling, falling through whirling darkness and then quite suddenly he found himself standing in the background of someone's memory, Audrey's memory and he watched as the events unfolded.

_Harry stood at the corner of a large dining room, watching, in the middle of the room there was a large table with a handsome looking chandelier dangling above it. Seated at the table was a young girl of about four years old. She had her auburn hair up in a messy, slightly off center pony tail, a single stand of her curly hair fell relentlessly into her face and she promptly blew it away as she sat doodling with a quill and parchment while drinking a tall glass pumpkin juice. Harry was watching this younger Audrey from his corner as she continued to draw when two women entered the room. The taller of the two looked older and meaner; she had an oval face with small wrinkles round her lips and mouth, her hair was shoulder length, light brown and stringy. She was also quite skinny, almost unhealthy, as if she hadn't eaten in weeks. The other woman was several inches shorter than her; her curly brown hair framing her kind looking, heart shaped face. Audrey didn't seem to notice that they had entered, as she was doodling so intently until_

"_Audrey, haven't I told you before that you won't be spending your time with such nonsense. Give me that." The older woman said sternly taking and crumpled up the piece of parchment that Audrey had doodled on and tossed it into the waste bin "Come now, darling let's see those hands" she said taking her daughter's arms and examining them. She scrunched up her nose noticing the dirt on her hands, "You're filthy!" she exclaimed dropping her arms "Fidelis!"_

_A young house elf appeared quickly into view. He was wearing a piece of ripped up green cloth that had appeared to have once been part of a curtain but was now draped around him as if were a toga. He answered the woman with an obedient, "Yes Mistress" eyeballing Audrey and her mother_

"_I need you to run a bath for Audrey immediately, her hands are absolutely ghastly." she said in a harsh manner._

"_Of course Mistress", Fidelis replied with a bow before he went to Audrey and beckoned her to follow him but before she could,_

_'Audrey.' the younger woman called Audrey back and Audrey went to her obediently. _

_'Yes Aunt Mona' Audrey answered her and as her aunt Mona reached down into the waste bin, scooped up the crumpled piece of parchment, smoothed it out to examine it and she whispered_

_"It's beautiful" as she handed it back to Audrey with a smile. Audrey grinned proudly at her doodles and turned to follow Fidelis when her Aunt Mona grabbed her elbow and whispered _

_"Don't tell your mother" with a wink._

_Everything was a cloud of swirling gray once more as the memory shifted, and Harry found himself in dark cell with a daft old man muttering to himself in a corner, disturbed by this Harry stepped out of the cell and surveyed the place in which he had found himself in, taking in the darkness and the misery. Even though he was not actually there himself he could still sense the distress, Harry soon realized he was in Azkaban Prison when he spotted the most unwanted of creatures hovering about: dementors. He could hear the horrifying shrieks of the prison's inmates and the mad howls of agony when dementors would get too close. In the midst of all the misery and insanity Harry could hear distant footsteps echoing around the corridors and he was intent on finding whom those footsteps belonged too as he ran past many cells in which imprisoned various Witches and Wizards who all gone mad. In the distance Harry recognized the people from before: the little girl Audrey, her mother and her aunt, he ran to them._

_"Oh, Mona this place is ghastly do put up a Patronus." said Audrey's mom looking over to her sister who stood still, the fear in her face was evident, clutching little Audrey's hand who had gone deathly pale "Go on, then." she said this time more forcefully_

_"Right, "said Mona readying herself "E-expceto pa-patronum" she pointed her wand which released only a wispy burst of white smoke, this reminded Harry very much of his own first attempts to create a Patronus._

_"Pathetic, go again." now Audrey's mom sounded more demanding_

_"Give me a second Gretchen." Mona said quietly and closed her eyes for several seconds and took a deep steadying breath and then "Expecto Patronum!" she gasped when a white-silvery rabbit emerged from the tip of her wand and danced around them. Mona smiled proudly at her Patronus and Gretchen rolled her eyes at her._

_"About time. Come along, now we haven't got all day." she said leading them all the way to the end of the corridor Audrey walked alongside her aunt flabbergasted by the piece of magic she had just done she stared at the rabbit's glowy figure as it pranced around them shielding them from the demeanors. Once they got to the end of the corridor Gretchen stopped and she went to a man in a cell to her right, Mona and Audrey stayed several feet behind whilst Gretchen leaned in close to the man in the cell and whispered to him. Harry's curiosity got the better of him and he went to go get a better look at the person Gretchen was talking to; he was a tall man of about 6'2 with dirty, greasy hair that framed his long square face which matched the color of his black beady eyes and his big bushy eyebrows that were furrowed as Gretchen spoke,_

_"I brought Audrey along this time, I thought that she should get to know her father better", "I'll go get her."_

_Harry watched as Gretchen walked over to where Mona and Audrey were waiting, he watched as Gretchen bent down to a young Audrey's eye level and explained that she and her father should do some catching up. Harry watched as Gretchen lead Audrey to her father's cell and said, _

"Albert, there's someone here who would like to meet you". She nudged Audrey to move closer to his cell, but she just stood there staring wide-eyed at her father. Harry moved closer until he was standing right by Audrey, to ensure that he would hear everything, he then noticed how Audrey moved slightly away from her father when he leaned toward her Albert seemed to have noticed too and he let out a loud kind of demented laugh revealing his yellow, rotting teeth and he pressed his sunken face through the bars of his cell and whispered softly

"You aren't scared of me, are you?" his voice was rough and raspy, the way it would get from having screamed for a long period of time. "Well?" he asked again this time louder when Audrey hadn't answered after several seconds. She shook her head voraciously in response, obviously terrified. "No?" he asked "Wonderful."

And before Harry's eyes Audrey, Gretchen, Mona, and Albert dissolved along with the room around him but he could still hear echoes and whispers of the inmates and Albert's insane howls then a new scene took its form. Harry found himself in the same dining room that he visited in Audrey's first memory and it was as handsome as it was all those years ago. But Audrey was much older this time; she looked more herself, with a horrified look on her face. And there on the floor lay her Aunt Mona, her soft brown curls fell onto her face, her body was sprawled awkwardly across the floor. Audrey ran to her a pushed her mother away, Gretchen still had her wand out and at the ready, she breathed heavily, her chest heaving. Audrey's eyes filled with tears when she could find no pulse on her aunt's body, she was still warm. Her face held an expression of horrified shock, her eyes wide with terror and her mouth slightly ajar. Mona's usually hearty, inviting eyes held only cold dark nothingness.

"You did it, you killed her" Audrey whispered still looking at her aunt, tears in her eyes.

"I had to didn't, I? She spoke ill of the Dark Lord, she was insane, spoke of joining the Order, of ABANDONING him", Gretchen spoke with obvious hatred towards her sister. Audrey stood she couldn't bear to look at her aunt any longer.

"Come dear" Gretchen moved towards her and tugged at her arm gently, "we are better off without her. One mustn't cry over spilt milk." Now tears began to spill out of Audrey's eyes, she remained still. Her mother spotting this said, "Now, now, it's nothing to cry about" She reached out to touch out to touch her hand but Audrey pulled away and wiped her tears.

"Don't touch me! You're a monster."

And she then whispered angrily pointing to her aunt's corpse

"I wish she was my mom, even dead she's a better person than you!" At these words Gretchen grew visibly angry, her lips tightened and she had stiffened.

"Now, I know you're in shock but-" Gretchen said

"But nothing!" Audrey yelled, her voice cracking when she looked down at her aunt's decomposing body. "Why is it that you are so obsessed with the idea of Voldemort rising that-"

"You dare speak his name!" she hissed and reached for Audrey closing her bony hands tightly around her throat. Audrey gasped for air and attempted to pry Gretchen's fingers off from around her neck but Gretchen kept a firm grip on her. Harry now feared for Audrey's well being her mother had a sort of crazed look in her eyes similar to that of a murdering psychopath, he stood still in helplessness but he knew she would ultimately be alright. Now the color had drained from Audrey's face and she was beginning to go limp and out of nowhere Gretchen let her go and she fell hard on the floor gasping for breath. But this fight was far from over

"You- will- never- win." Audrey gasped looking up at her mother leaving tear stains down her face while Gretchen remained impassive. Gretchen then slapped her across the face leaving a red hand print on her cheek. "Why do you believe in him so much? It's stupid, he is as bad

to his followers as he is to his enemies, he'll be after you all next." Gretchen's face seemed to have tightened and she spoke with vexation,

"Your naivety leads you to believe that you know all. You think you're _so _smart you think you have it all figured out but you need to learn to separate fantasy and reality."

"I have, and I know that at least I'm not fighting a losing battle and that your 'Master'" she said making air quotes around the word "Is too afraid to fight so he sends you all to do his dirty work, he's too scared to duel against the greatest wizard of all-"

As soon as the words left her mouth Gretchen was on top of her and Audrey let out a blood curling scream Harry moved around to see what he was doing to her and he remembered her scar when she saw Gretchen digging her wand into her flesh. Audrey let out another scream and Harry stood still horrified, her mother was writing something on her arm, blood spilt everywhere.

"Blood traitors are not welcome in my house" Gretchen hissed in her ear before getting off of her and giving her one last kick in the stomach, Audrey grunted in pain. Harry wanted to get out of there he felt like an intruder bursting in on someone's worst nightmares

"I thought that was a bit ironic," Said Audrey from behind him. This was the real Audrey Harry looked at her and then back at the girl sobbing on the floor, then Audrey spoke again "It was ironic because...well... she calls me a blood traitor when she openly betrays me, her daughter-her own blood." She laughed without humor "Come on," she said with a tilt of her head "let's get out of here." And they did.

**Review!...please : )**


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